Thirteen-foot-long python found on busy Agra-Mathura Road highway

After a driver just stopped short of running over it, a long queue of vehicles formed on the road, one of the busiest in the country.

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Mail Today Bureau

New Delhi

July 31, 2016

UPDATED: July 31, 2016 08:04 IST

The python - 13-foot-long and 24.5 kg in weight - was spotted near Sherjang Baba ki Dargah on the Agra-Mathura freeway.

HIGHLIGHTS

An enormous python was spotted near Sherjang Baba ki Dargah on the Agra-Mathura freeway.

This caused panic among commuters bringing traffic to a halt.

It was rescued by NGO, Wildlife SOS, in a two-hour long operation.

Twitter jokes on holy encounters with 'naag devta' on roads this monsoon came true for some on Friday. A giant python, 13-foot-long and 24.5 kgs in weight, surfaced on the super busy National Highway 2 (Agra-Mathura Road) at 11 pm on Friday.

This caused panic among commuters bringing traffic to a halt. It was rescued by NGO, Wildlife SOS, in a two-hour long operation. The experts said that it had probably come out of its nest after being flooded with rainwater.

The enormous python was spotted near Sherjang Baba ki Dargah on the Agra-Mathura freeway. After a driver just stopped short of running over it, a long queue of vehicles formed on the road, one of the busiest in the country.

DANGEROUS

A local called Wildlife SOS which conducts such rescue ops. A team member said, "It was dangerous. It was a huge reptile measuring the length of the road almost. It must have been frightened with all the lights and honking. Someone from the public tried to remove it by hand but cause of improper handling, the snake rushed to take up shelter inside a freshly dug hole on the side of the road."

A three member rescue team led by Baiju Raj MV of Wildlife SOS promptly arrived at the location and requested the curious bystanders to maintain a safe distance in order to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

RESCUE

"After a two hour long operation, the team managed to successfully rescue the giant snake which weighed close to 24.5 kilograms. The snake was found to be in good health and was soon released back in to its natural habitat," Baiju, Director Conservation Projects, Wildlife SOS, said.

"The highway is currently undergoing expansion which has restricted the movement of wildlife in the area and often forces them to come onto the busy roads. The python later fell into a hole full of water due to continuous rains, so we had to be extremely careful in ensuring that the snake was not alarmed or provoked to cause any casualty," he said.